NEWS
Examiner: Marathon runner had disease
Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.
Also by Ken Harris:
- Baldwin wins 6th term in landslide (November 5, 2008)
- Election '08: Political professors (October 30, 2008)
- On the issues: foreign policy (October 27, 2008)
- Marching Band to play Saturday (October 10, 2008)
Related Stories:
- Grad student dies after Arkansas marathon (March 4, 2008)
- Boston U. professor Daverio identified as body from river (April 17, 2003)
- Baby born in dorm bathroom dies (February 4, 2002)
- Dance marathon touted a success by organizers (November 18, 2002)
- Cancer Research Pioneer Dies at 70 (February 25, 2002)
Share This:
by Ken Harris
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The Arkansas medical examiner’s office announced Tuesday the cause of death for a University of Wisconsin graduate student who died shortly after completing a marathon last month.
Dr. Stephen Erickson, associate medical examiner for the state of Arkansas, said Adam Nickel, 27, had a congenital heart defect that had gone unnoticed his whole life.
Nickel collapsed suddenly March 2 after finishing the Little Rock Marathon between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., according to race director Gina Marchese Pharis. He was taken to a nearby hospital and declared dead on arrival.
According to Erickson, Nickel had fibromuscular dysplasia. The very small coronary arteries that carried oxygenated blood to Nickel’s heart were very narrow. This meant not enough blood was getting to his heart while he was running the marathon.
Erickson added Nickel was probably unaware there was anything wrong with his heart until the cardiac episode hit him “like a lightning bolt out of the blue.”
“In all likelihood, Mr. Nickel never had a symptom of this until his death,” Erickson said. “It was the combination of the standard stress on the body and electrolyte fluctuations that occur while running a marathon and an undiagnosed, silent, strange little disease that caused a sudden, catastrophic cardiac event that caused his death.”
Except for the undiagnosed heart condition, Nickel was in perfect shape to handle the long distance of a marathon, Erickson added.
“There is no doubt in my mind that he was physiologically capable of running marathons,” Erickson said. “There was nothing grossly wrong with his organ systems.”
David Bernhardt, UW professor of sports medicine, said most incidents of young athletes dying during athletic events are the result of the athletes having an unknown congenital heart defect they were born with.
Erickson said Nickel had almost no chance of being diagnosed, as he had no symptoms.
“I don’t know how they would diagnose this. It’s something so small,” Erickson said. “If you’re lucky, you can be a young person with symptomology, and a skilled doctor will know how to recognize it.”
Mimi Petersen (April 10, 2008 @ 11:42am):
Dear Editor:
I was saddened to hear about the death of Dr. Stephen Erickson. Fibromuscular Dysplasia is a disease I am very familiar with as I myself have it in my carotid arteries, renal arteries, and am now being checked in my mesenteric arteries.
Unfourunately many Doctors are not as aware of FMD as they are of other diseases. I went undiagnosed for over 25 years with FMD. Even though I had hypertension at a very young age, it was still not diagnosed.
While my heart aches for the Doctors family, I hope they take some comfort in knowing that
his story is a huge step in bringing awareness about this devastating disease.
Additionally there is a non-profit organazation FMDSA.ORG which is working hard to bring awareness to the medical community.
Sincerely,
Mimi Petersen
Northern California
Add a comment
We welcome your thoughts, but please keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted.
Login...
Not registered? Sign up now.
It's quick, free, and the email address you provide will not be sold or solicited.
